BOOK REVIEW: LADD SPRINGS by DIANNE VENETTA

Ladd Springs
by Dianne Venetta

Book Details
Genre: Romantic Fiction
Published by: BloominThyme Press
Publication Date: April 9, 2013
Number of Pages: 285
ISBN: 978-0-9884871-2-3
Romantic Heat Index: Mild
***This is the first in a series ***
Purchase Links:    

Synopsis:

A deathbed promise and a mysterious find in the Tennessee forest bring Delaney Wilkins and Nick Harris together in a dramatic fight for the rights to Ladd Springs.

Delaney Wilkins finds herself at odds with hotel developer Nick Harris over a deathbed promise and a mysterious find in the forest. Both are after title to Ladd Springs, a mecca of natural springs, streams and trails in the eastern Tennessee mountains, a tract of land worth millions. But Ernie Ladd, current owner of the property and uncle to Delaney, is adamantly opposed to them both.

Felicity Wilkins, Delaney’s daughter, deserves to inherit her family’s legacy, but neighbor Clem Sweeney is working against her, ingratiating himself with Ernie Ladd. Clem is also harboring a secret that will make him a very wealthy man—unless the others stop him before he can bring it to fruition.

Complicating matters is Annie Owens. Ex-girlfriend to Jeremiah Ladd, Ernie’s estranged son living in Atlanta, she declares her daughter Casey is Jeremiah’s, making Casey every bit as entitled to the property as Felicity—only Annie hasn’t proven this claim. Yet.

All are fighting to get the property, but only one will walk away with the gold. Which will it be? Find out in the first installment of Ladd Springs…

Read an excerpt:

Chapter One

Crouched in the Tennessee mountain brush, Delaney Wilkins pushed up from her knees and moved farther into the thicket for a better view. Beneath the canopy of laurel and oaks, the scent of wet earth and decomposing leaves rose thick in the air around her. She craned her head to look between the trees. Some blackened, others gray, trunks stood in varying stages of decay, victims to the slew of storms that ripped through the area several years back. And among them, two strangers. By the outline of their build, the rough jerk to their movements, they appeared to be men. But gender didn’t matter. Trespassers were trespassers and they were on her land.

Delaney held her breath, suppressing all thought but one. No one was supposed to be in her part of the woods. Did they venture too far off the USFS trail and get lost?

Her instincts hummed. These two were up to no good, she was sure of it.

Author Bio:           

Dianne Venetta lives in Central Florida with her husband and two children–and her part-time Yellow Lab (Cody!). An avid gardener, she spends her spare time growing organic vegetables. Surprised by the amazing discoveries she finds there every day, she wondered, “Who knew there were so many similarities between men and plants?”

In addition to writing women’s fiction and romance, she pens the blog for BloominThyme.com. What began as a brief hiatus from writing has blossomed into a garden blog, children’s fiction series and more volunteer hours at school than she imagined!

At the end of the day, if she can inspire someone to stop and smell the roses (or rosemary!), kiss their child and spouse good-night, be kind to a neighbor and Mother Earth, then she’s done all right.

Find Dianne:

 

 

Reader review . . . 

Delaney is willing to fight for the land she calls home in the Tennessee mountains, and she may have to.  Nick Harris thinks the land would be perfect for the resort he wants to develop in the area.  Ernie, Delaney's uncle and owner of the property, doesn't want either of them to have it.  Ernie is leaning toward leaving the land to Clem, a neighbor with a secret, but Annie Owens is also making a play for the inheritance.

This is the first novel in a series set in eastern Tennessee.  The descriptions of the mountain region are wonderfully detailed.  I could almost hear the stream going by as I read.  Admittedly, the characters at times seem a bit stereotypical, but they seem to be developing throughout the novel, and I'm sure there will be further development as the series progresses.  

A nice mystery/romance in a popular setting with mild situations; nothing objectionable.

3.5 stars

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Providence Book Promotions book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”